Sunday, July 17, 2011

When you’ve been writing as long as I have, you start to build quite a collection of how-to books for writers. In fact, I still have a stack waiting to be read, but here are just a few favorites that I’ve read cover to cover. Since I’ve been working on mystery novels for several years, many of them focus on this genre.

For Mystery/Thriller Writers

Writing and Selling Your Mystery Novel by Hallie EphronFiction (The Art and Craft of Writing and Getting Published) by Michael SeidmanWriting the Mystery by G. Miki HaydenHow to Write Best Selling Fiction by Dean KoontzWriting the Novel by Lawrence BlockThe Writers Digest series including (Deadly Doses: a Writer’s Guide to Poisons, Body Trauma, Scene of the Crime, Armed and Dangerous, and several others)Forensics for Dummies by D.P. Lyle, MD (he also writes a great forensics blog)Bones: A Forensic Detective’s Casebook by Dr. Douglas Ubelaker and Henry ScammellWriting the Modern Mystery by Barbara Norville

On Editing/Writing

Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Rennie Browne and Dave KingThe Elements of Style by Strunk and WhiteEat, Shoots & Leaves by Lynne TrussThe Art of Fiction by John GardnerBreathing the Page by Betsy WarlandWriting the Natural Way by Gabriele Lusser RicoBecoming a Writer by Dorothea Brande

I have more, but this is a good start. Now, let me know what your recommendations are!